Amid Oppn protests, Parliament passes key bills related to economy and finance, infrastructure, sports

NEW DELHI: The monsoon session of Parliament has been marked by significant ruckus and disruptions from the Opposition over the issue of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor apart from Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s introduction of Bills proposing the removal of elected representatives (including the Prime Minister and Chief Ministers) detained on serious criminal charges was met with strong opposition.

However, key bills related to the economy and finance, infrastructure and development, sports and governance were passed by the Parliament. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju slammed the opposition over the continuous ruckus in the House. He slammed the Opposition for creating a ruckus and said that due to this obstinate behaviour, the opposition missed participating in the discussion on several important Bills which were passed.

जनता हमें काम के लिए भेजती है, क्या विपक्ष हंगामे के लिए आता है? लोकतंत्र का अपमान करने वालों को देश की जनता माफ़ नहीं करेगा।

MPs should not disrespect People’s mandate and contribute in debates and discussions. pic.twitter.com/0BtZpdvb2e

— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) August 20, 2025

Some of the key bills passed include: bills related to economy and finance — The Income-tax Bill, 2025: simplifies India’s direct tax laws by eliminating complex provisions and redundant clauses; The Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2025: provides tax exemptions and amendments to existing tax laws.

Bills related to infrastructure and development included: The Merchant Shipping Bill, 2025, which regulates merchant shipping in India; The Indian Ports Bill, 2025, which regulates Indian ports; The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2025, which amended the existing law on mine and mineral development.

Bills related to sports and governance included: The National Sports Governance Bill, 2025, which focuses on sports governance in India, crucial for India’s participation in the Olympics bid of 2036 and The National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which prevents doping in sports.

Other important bills included: The Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which amends the existing law governing Indian Institutes of Management; The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, regulates online gaming, including e-sports and social gaming, while imposing strict curbs on online money games; The Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of the State of Goa Bill, 2025, adjusts the representation of scheduled tribes in Goa’s assembly constituencies and The Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2025 and The Manipur Appropriation (No.2) Bill, 2025:, related to Manipur’s goods and services tax and appropriation of funds.

In the Rajya Sabha, except for “The Bills of Lading Bill, 2025” which was passed without any disruption on the first day of Monsoon Session, 2025, the following Bills were passed after some discussion, only after the Opposition parties staged a walk out.

The Carriage of Goods by Sea Bill, 2025; The Coastal Shipping Bill, 2025; The Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2025; The Manipur Appropriation (No.2) Bill, 2025; The Merchant Shipping Bill, 2025; The Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of the State of Goa Bill, 2025; The National Sports Governance Bill, 2025; The National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill, 2025; The Income-tax Bill, 2025; The Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2025; The Indian Ports Bill, 2025; The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2025; The Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) Bill, 2025.

The opposition ruckus during the Monsoon Session of Parliament was primarily over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar, which the opposition parties claim is being used to manipulate voter rolls and potentially influence election outcomes.

The opposition demanded a discussion on the SIR exercise, alleging that it is being used to delete genuine voter names and add fake ones, thereby compromising the integrity of the electoral process. The government maintained that the SIR exercise is a routine process conducted by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to update voter rolls and ensure the accuracy of electoral data.

The opposition parties, including the Congress, DMK, and TMC, staged protests and disrupted the proceedings of both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, demanding a debate on the issue. On August 11, 2025, police detained several opposition MPs, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who were attempting to march to the ECI office to submit a memorandum. (ANI)